Enchanted
by Brissi
Summary: Noël Clark is happy as a Six, even though food is scarce. She'd rather be poor than living in a mansion with rebels attacking every second of the day. But somehow her brother and mother convince her to apply for the Selection, and by some twist of fate she is chosen. But Noël isn't sure she can survive in the palace, not with her demons tormenting her every step of the way.


I walked quickly down the dilapidated street with my arms wrapped around myself to shield my body from the bitter wind that cut down the street. The air carried an icy edge and the sky looked like snow, but for now the icy flakes waited in the clouds and watched the people of Dakota scurry about through the streets, heads ducked and possessions clung tight to their bodies. My thin jacket was literally a threadbare scrap of fabric that happened to cover my arms and did next to nothing to protect me from the chill, but it was the only jacket we could afford for me right now, and it would serve me long into my twenties before it was deemed too thin to do any good. My thin maids' attire didn't provide any protection against the icy air either, and I realized I would have to sew myself a winter coat from the rags Mrs. Sage snuck me sometimes if I was going to avoid frostbite this year. Winter was going to be particularly difficult if this cold spell continued, since we only had summer clothes and our only means of warmth was a tiny fireplace in the wall. And getting ahold of firewood was a whole different struggle.

As if willed into existence by my thoughts, the smell of wood smoke wafted through the air and teased at my nose, making me shudder with longing. I looked up and spotted my family's tiny house up ahead, its two bedrooms somehow sheltering the nine people that lived there without bursting at the seams. A weary smile lit my face and I moved a little faster through the cold. As I started up the front walk towards our sagging front door, it burst open with a bang and my brother came running down the walk towards me, arms spread wide. I squealed and turned to run, but I only made it two steps before strong, gentle arms encircled me and swung me easily into the air. I laughed out loud and cried, "Cobalt!" as he settled me into his arms. He cradled me to his chest like a child, which I guess wasn't far off. Despite being the youngest of six brothers, he was easily two feet taller than me and nearly double my weight. My unnaturally short frame didn't score me many points in the grown-up department either.

Resigned to being carried inside, I snuggled against Cobalt's chest, savoring the warmth of his body after the freezing walk home. He tucked me closer and quickly ducked back inside through the front door, although it wasn't much warmer there. At least we were out of the wind, which was a small blessing. Cobalt carried me into the kitchen and gently set me down by the table, where a small bowl of soup and a stained glass of water waited.

"For you, my lady," Cobalt said grandly, giving a mock-bow. I giggled softly and wrapped an arm around his waist in a one-armed hug, which he returned.

I turned hungrily to my 'feast', which had probably taken an entire day's wages to afford, and attacked it with relish. I devoured the soup in seconds, draining the bowl of everything I could get, while Cobalt stood by watching. I made myself slow down while I drained my water glass, savoring every last drop of the precious liquid. The glass was empty far too soon, but I didn't have time to dwell on it because no sooner had the last trembling droplet taken the plunge to my mouth when Cobalt whisked the cup and bowl away. He placed them in the sink and I got to my aching feet, intending to go find a quiet spot to rest, but once again I was swept into Cobalt's arms. I gave a quiet squeak of protest, but he ignored me. So I sighed loudly as I was carried through the door into the den where four more of my brothers had gathered.

They all looked up when we entered, pausing in their rowdy antics to let out a chorus of hellos.

"Hey, Noël, you got Cobalt to carry you around!" Lorri called, his blazing ginger hair ruffled from play-wrestling with Tyler, who was pinned beneath him. Tyler's close-cropped brown hair was too short to show signs of violence, but his t-shirt was rumpled more than usual. I made a face as Cobalt reluctantly set me down on the patched sofa.

"Yeah, apparently I can't walk anymore," I said, poking Cobalt lightly in the side. Instead of looking apologetic, he flashed me an impish grin, which coupled with his dazzling blue eyes and unruly bronze hair made girls swoon. His lean, muscular physique, acquired by plenty of heavy lifting in the Sage's garden, didn't hurt either. He was definitely the heartbreaker of the family, that's for sure.

As Cobalt flopped down beside me, my second oldest brother laughed and said, "What are you talking about? I'd kill to have a personal slave carry me around. Especially one as purdy as Balto here."

"Shut up, Daryn," Cobalt snapped in mock-anger, making a face at his kid nickname. "You're jealous of all this."

As he spoke, Cobalt ran a hand through his hair and flexed playfully, drawing a laugh out of Daryn. I poked him under the arm, unable to let the opportunity pass, and Cobalt gave a yelp of surprise. The boys erupted into raucous laughter, slapping each other on the back the way boys do, and somehow Tucker ended up getting shoved head-first off the crowed sofa, barely avoiding cracking his head on the ruddy coffee table. This only made the boys laugh harder. I gasped in concern and sprang to my feet to help him up, worriedly checking him for signs of head trauma. Tucker glared around at the others and accepted my offered hand, nearly pulling me down beside him with his weight alone. When he was standing he wrapped an arm around my shoulders possessively.

"Noël is now my favorite sibling," he announced, mocking the royal tone of most Twos and Threes. "She actually cares about my good health, unlike you _peasants_."

As if on cue, both Tucker and I stuck our noses in the air and stared regally at the accused 'peasants', which I found extremely difficult seeing as I was two feet shorter than all of them, at least. Thank the stars they were sitting, or I never would have been able to pull it off. Tucker dropped back down on the couch and Cobalt beckoned me over. I took a flying leap onto him and he caught me easily, pulling me onto his lap. I curled up like a child and rubbed my fingers together before a memory hit me.

"Did you guys hear about Ariana and Xavier?" I asked as the last of the chuckles died down. Our friends had been secretly dating for two years now, although it wasn't much of a secret anymore.

"No, what'd Sage tell you?" Lorri called from the old chair he was sharing with Daryn.

"Did Ari finally come to her senses?" Tyler asked with a wink. "A Four marrying a Six is quite scandalous if you ask me."

I rolled my eyes and snuggled closer to Cobalt's chest.

"No, silly," I teased, smiling happily at the news I was about to deliver. "They're engaged!"

The room erupted into cheers and I laughed out loud at their reactions, even though my own had been along the same lines.

"I thought they'd never marry," Tyler laughed. "I guess Ari's family finally gave up. It's a good thing too. Any longer and I swear they were going to go elope in a cabin."

"And other things," Lorri snickered, and just like that my heart slammed up into my throat and the noise in the room dropped off into the abyss. There was a long moment of tense silence where no one breathed, and Lorri suddenly flushed a brilliant crimson to match his hair.

"Sorry, Noe," he muttered, and I managed to smile weakly. Cobalt wrapped his arms protectively around me and Daryn gave Lorri an annoyed shove.

"God, Lorri, be a little more sensitive," he muttered, and Lorri looked so completely guilt stricken that I couldn't bear it.

"Oh, it's alright, leave him alone," I cried, wriggling out of Cobalt's grip. I quickly darted over and gave Lorri a comforting hug. "He didn't mean it," I declared, my gaze daring the others to say otherwise.

"What did Lorri say now?" a cool voice asked from the doorway, and we all twisted around to see my oldest brother, Arik, standing there watching us. He surveyed us like a cat surveys, well, everything, and walked into the room, sitting down on the arm of the sofa.

"Nothing," I said, going back to sit with Cobalt. "We were just talking about Ariana and Xavier. Did you hear they're-"

"Getting married, I know," Arik said disdainfully. "A huge mistake on Ariana's part, if you ask me."

I expected someone, maybe Tucker, to pipe up and say that we didn't ask him, but the other boys were all looking around the room. The fireplace, the wall, anywhere but Arik. I frowned in confusion and wondered what was making them all uncomfortable. Arik seemed oblivious to the tension and he looked to me with a friendly smile. I was immediately set on edge. Arik was never friendly unless he wanted something; that's just who he was. I scooted closer to Cobalt, if that was even possible, and waited for Arik to launch his sales pitch.

"You'll never guess what came in the mail today," Arik said brightly, and immediately the rest of my brothers reacted. Cobalt shot to his feet, me in his arms, and Tucker stood with him.

"Hey, Noe, we found this really nice flower in the backyard we thought you'd like," he said, already tugging Cobalt along towards the back door.

"It's almost winter," I said, confused, but Cobalt just shushed me and kept going. Indignant, I wriggled madly out of his arms and he had to choice but to set me down or drop me. I gave a huff and strode back over to the sofa, plopping down.

"You guys can't just carry me wherever you want," I said, crossing my arms and putting on my best pout.

"You never minded it before," Tyler pointed out, and I shot him a look.

"Yeah, but you were taking me where I wanted to go, so it didn't matter," I said, then realized how stuck up that sounded. I blushed lightly and glanced down, but the others didn't have a chance to take advantage of my hesitation. Arik reached over and dropped a letter into my lap, made of a thick, fancy paper and addressed to me in a looping script. I flipped it over to open and saw the Illéan seal stamped on a thick pad of wax. I glanced up to see everyone's eyes on me, even my mother who had appeared in the kitchen doorway to watch.

"What is it?" I asked, having a feeling they all knew, but Arik motioned for me to open it. Sighing, I broke the seal and pulled out… a form. I looked up again at Arik with a questioning look on my face, but again he motioned for me to look at it myself and find out. My eyes skimmed over the contents of the forms and stopped on two words. The form fluttered from my hand and I looked up at Arik.

"What?!"

"Noël-"

"You want me to go-"

"Noë…"

"-to _that _place, where r-rebels attack almost once a week, and compete in some stupid competition for some stuck-up _prince_?!"

"Noël-"

"No! I won't do it! You can't make me." I trailed off with a whimper and Cobalt was at my side in a heartbeat, rubbing my back in a comforting way. I realized I was breathing like I'd just ran a mile, and I tried to calm myself.

"Noël, think about how great this will be for the family," my mother said from the doorway. "If you make it in, we're automatically guaranteed thousands of dollars! That's enough to feed us for a year, Noël."

"I won't," I said timidly, hands shaking.

"Noël-"

"She said no, Mom," Lorri stated firmly. "And she's right. You can't make her."

My mother opened her mouth, obviously about to argue with that, but Cobalt abruptly stood up, cutting her off with a raised hand. He looked down at me and sent me a questioning look, asking permission. I nodded and he scooped me up, carrying me out of the room. I peeked over his shoulder and saw my mother and Arik staring after me with an unreadable expression on their faces. I shivered as they passed out of sight around the corner, and I didn't stop until Cobalt had tucked me into the bed he, Tucker, and I shared. He crawled into bed beside me and I snuggled wordlessly against him. He'd always been my rock, the one sibling I could count on, and he proved it over and over again. He always stood by my decisions, even one that would ensure that he would be hungry for the rest of his life. A moment later, Tucker joined us, and I smiled weakly at him. Gradually the warmth of their bodies lulled me into a peaceful daze. My eyelids fluttered closed and I sank beneath the waves of sleep. I opened my eyes in a dream.

_I huddled down beside Mrs. Sage, trembling slightly as explosions rocked their beautiful house. The kind woman held me tight to her side, trying to calm me, and I felt a flood of gratitude. I looked up at the shabby barricade we'd thrown up against her bedroom door, consisting of her dresser, a few nightstands, and her big mahogany desk. We'd tried to move her enormous, four-poster bed, but it had been too heavy for just the two of us to budge. So now we were curled up behind it, hoping that should the rebels broke through, they wouldn't see us crouched down behind the bed. The shouts and bangs got closer, each noise sending a tremor through the floorboards- or was that just me? With no warning at all, the doors we'd blocked rattled violently, like someone had just tried to force their way through them. I couldn't help a yelp of fear, and I clapped my hands over my mouth in horror. Now they knew for certain there were people in here, so they wouldn't rest until they broke through. The doors rattled again, and then there was a brief silence. I braced myself for the explosion sure to come, but that didn't prepare me for the noise. An earsplitting roar sounded and echoed throughout the room, and both of us cried out in terror. The carefully stacked barricade flew across the room in a shower of pieces, including the doors, and I remembered the day we had painted them. I was shaking uncontrollably now, watching as two men stepped in through the gaping hole and surveyed the room. At first they missed us, and I dared to hope they would leave, but the second time they looked around one of them spotted us and grinned. I bit my tongue in horror; he was missing several teeth and looked like he hadn't bathed in days, at least. He had scars all over his face and his companion wasn't much better. The two took ominous steps towards us, seeming to enjoy my crying and trembling. The one who had first spotted us reached out towards me with one hand and-_

I shot awake and screamed, a large, masculine figure leaning over me. The figure shot back and I scrambled in the opposite direction, searching wildly for an escape. The man was blocking the door, so I ran for the window.

"Noël!"

I barely recognized my brother's voice and froze, turning to peer at him through the tears welling up in my eyes.

"Cobalt?"

I edged towards him, then burst into tears and fell to the ground, only to be caught by a pair of arms.

"Shh, it was just a dream…"


End file.
